Experiments on the Response of Arch-Supported Membrane Shelters to Snow and Wind Loading

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Experiments on the Response of Arch-Supported Membrane Shelters to

Snow and Wind Loading

by

David Marc Carradine

R. H. Plaut, Chairman

Civil Engineering

(ABSTRACT)

For many years, inflatable structures and membrane enclosed structures have
proved useful for a variety of purposes, such as athletic pavilions, exhibition spaces,
coliseums, and kiosks. More recently, structures that combine highly pressurized
inflatable arch members with light fabric membrane coverings have been considered for
use as a variation of such structural systems. The United States Army has begun to
investigate pressurized arch-supported membrane shelters that would be large,
lightweight, and easily erected in a short amount of time. These shelters are proposed for
a variety of purposes, including aircraft hangars, vehicle maintenance shelters, and
medical aid stations.

The specific contribution of this study was the creation and testing of scale models
to obtain a better understanding of how these structures behave under wind and snow
loading conditions. Three models were constructed, one at a scale of 1:100 and two at a
scale of 1:50. The 1:100 scale model represented a proposed prototypical structure 200 ft
long, 75 ft wide, and 50 ft tall, with multiple arches. Of the 1:50 scale models, one model
represented a structure with the same dimensions as the 1:100 scale model and the other
represented a single arch from one of the proposed prototypical structures. Both of the
full structural models were wind and snow load tested. The single arch model was tested
under full and partial snow loading. Data from the testing were collected, tabulated, and
evaluated. The experimental results are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and
recommendations for further research are presented.